Other people say that I would need a headset that connects via USB in order to have the audio play to it while also playing through the stream. In that case, I would need to get a USB headset, but I don't want to spend the money on a USB headset if it won't work anyway. For some reason all audio in the game goes to my headphones except for voice chat, which instead plays through my speakers. I see no option to select the voice chat audio source in Battlefield 5, and changing the Speakers source in the Voice tab of Origin settings does affect the game. I've had a PS4 for around a year, but I recently got an Xbox One for Christmas. One thing I noticed is, on the Xbox One, when you plug in a headset to the controller, it streams audio to both yout TV and your headset. This is optimal for me, as I frequently play split screen games with siblings.
'You can't listen to music through two separate destinations.'
- Connect your headphones and speakers to your PC. Right-click on the volume iconin the taskbar and click Sounds. This opens the Sounds settings. Under the Playbacktab, right-click Speakersand choose 'Set as Default Device'.
- On the Hardware Out tab in VoiceMeeter, click the A1 or A2 button and select the headphones or speakers you want to play audio from. Be sure to select one of the 'WDM' options instead of the 'MME' options. These are different sound driver interfaces in Windows, and WDM is faster.
'It doesn't work with Windows.'
These are the replies I have been receiving for the past five to six years. I'm sure I have searched for this topic around a dozen times, but each time it's the same response. Consider that you are listening to a song using headphones on your laptop. Your sibling wants to listen in as well, but prefers to use the speaker. Can a clash be avoided? How is it possible to listen to music through more than one option at the same time? Why hasn't Microsoft thought about this aspect?
Guess what! This has been made possible now. Windows can output sound to two sources at the same time, in most of the cases. What's best is, the installation of additional programs is not necessary for this to work.
Here's a step by step instruction on how to use both headphones and speakers at the same time.
Method 1:
- Connect the headphones to the computer. Make sure the speakers are connected as well.
- From the taskbar, right-click the volume icon. Then select Sound from the options, the sound dialog box opens. If you are not able to find the voice icon, use the Windows search box at the bottom left. Type sound and select Sound from the fly-up menu.
- In the Playback tab, right-click the speaker and ‘Set as default device'. Do you find the default device as greyed out or missing? If so, then the speaker might be the default device in your system. You can skip this step if it's down earlier.
- Click on the Recording tab and right click the empty space and select ‘Show disabled devices'.
- Right click on the option ‘Stereo Mix' and enable this device. Click again and select Properties.
- Select the Listen tab. Place a check mark in the box ‘Listen to this device'. Choose the headphone you want to playback through from the drop-down menu.
- Click on the Apply option. That's all!
To verify, play the music. The sound should come from both the speakers and headphones. Also, the green bars by both devices should be visible. If the sound is not coming from both, check if the speaker is set as a default device and not a communication device.
Method 2:
Do a quick re-installation of the IDT audio driver. If there is a misconfiguration of the settings in the driver, this can rectify it.
- Select the Device Manager. For this, choose the Windows + R key. Type devmgmt.msc in the Run box, click Ok. Or type devmgmt.msc in the Windows search box.
- Open the ‘Sound, video & game controllers' option.
- Right click on Realtek IDT High Definition Audio and choose the context menu.
- Click install.
- Select OK.
Once you restart your PC, Windows will re-assemble the driver from the files. The driver's configuration will also be back to the default options.
Method 3:
Download and install a fresh copy of the IDT audio driver. This can be obtained from the support page of the device. Have the files in the audio driver gone corrupt? Then, doing this will fix it. Plus, it will rectify any misconfiguration same as the above step. Make sure to choose the operating system in the menu before downloading the audio driver.
Method 4:
Does the problem still persist even after doing the above steps?
Then shift from IDT audio driver to Windows native audio driver option.
- Select the Device Manager.
- Open ‘Sound, video & game controllers'.
- Right-click and select the option ‘IDT High Definition – Audio Codec'.
- Choose ‘Update Driver Software' from the list. Select ‘Browse my computer for driver software' option.
- Select the option ‘Pick from a list of drivers on my computer'.
- Place a check on the box ‘Show compatible hardware' if not checked.
- After this, choose ‘High Definition Audio' and click ‘Next'.
- In the Update Driver Warning box, select ‘Yes' and install the driver.
- Restart the laptop if prompted.
If not prompted, there is no need to restart the PC.
Method 5:
Check if you have muted the ‘line-in mic', then the headphones also will be muted. Fix it by removing the mute from the line-in mic.
- Right click on the icon ‘speakers'.
- Choose the ‘Recording Devices' option.
- Right, click on the ‘Microphone or Line In' and click ‘enable'.
Audio Through Headset And Speakers
Wasn't these steps simple! Go ahead and enjoy listening to music through speakers and headphones.
How to play sound through speakers and headphones
Sound Through Speakers And Headphones
The problem of playing sound through both headphones and speakers is a common one. Many people have a laptop or desktop computer that has both built-in speakers and a pair of headphones. The problem is that when you plug in the headphones, the sound stops playing through the speakers. This disruption can be very annoying if you are listening to music or watching a movie.
There are several ways to solve this problem.
- The first is to adjust your Windows settings. Changing your settings is the easiest solution, but it may not work for everyone.
- The second solution is to use an audio mixer app. An app is the cheapest solution if you have a laptop or tablet that does not have a built-in audio mixer.
- The third solution is to buy an audio mixer. An audio mixer is beneficial if you have a desktop computer that does not have a built-in audio mixer.
- The fourth solution is to use an audio splitter or Bluetooth adapter. A splitter is a cheaper solution if you want to listen to music on your computer and your phone at the same time.
Adjust your Windows settings
To adjust your Windows settings:
- Step 1: Go to the Control Panel and click on sound.
- Step 2: Then click on the Playback tab.
You will see a list of all of the audio devices connected to your computer. If you have a built-in audio mixer, you will see it listed here.
If you do not have a built-in audio mixer, you will see a list of your speakers and headphones.
If you have a pair of headphones plugged in, you will see the word 'Headphones' next to the name of the device.
If you have a pair of speakers plugged in, you will see the word 'Speakers' next to the name of the device.
If you do not see the word 'Headphones' or 'Speakers', then you will need to adjust your Windows settings. To do this, click on the drop-down menu next to the name of the device and select 'Headphones'. Then click on Apply and OK.
- Step 3: In the Recording window, click on the 'Stereo Mix' tab. You will see all of the audio sources that are currently playing. If you have a microphone plugged in, you will see it here.
- Step 4: To play sound through both speakers and headphones, select the 'Stereo Mix' option and click 'Set Default'.
Use an audio mixer app
To use an audio mixer app, you will need to download and install an audio mixer app. There are many free audio mixer apps available for download. One of the most popular is called VB-Audio Virtual Cable. This app is available for both Windows and Mac computers.
To use this app, you will need to connect your headphones and speakers to your computer using a USB cable.
Then open the app and click on the 'Input' tab. You will see a list of all of your audio devices connected to your computer.
Buy an audio mixer
Please take a look at our Best Audio Mixer for Streaming or Best Budget Audio Interface to help you pick a suitable Audio Mixer.
Play Sound Through Speakers And Headphones
Use an audio splitter or Bluetooth adapter
To use an audio splitter or Bluetooth adapter, connect your headphones and speakers to your computer using a USB cable.
Then connect your phone to your computer using a USB cable or Bluetooth adapter.
How To Play Sound Through Headset And Speakers Xbox One
You can also use an audio splitter if you want to listen to music on two different devices at the same time.
How To Get Sound To Play Through Headset And Speakers
Looking for new Speakers? We have reviewed the Best Computer Speakers under $100.
